Former Barcelona player on Hansi Flick’s side – “They don’t have world class players”

There has been a lot of criticism that has come the way of Barcelona and Hansi Flick over the last couple of months, with that having heightened in the aftermath of last week’s defeat at Chelsea. The German has hit back at this, but it has not subsided yet.

The latest to have their say is former Barcelona midfielder Emmanuel Petit. As per MD, he took aim at Flick’s tactics, while also claiming that the Catalans have no world class players outside of Lamine Yamal.

“Barcelona is like a casino, they have bet everything on Lamine Yamal. They can compete for La Liga, but not for the Champions League, in any way. Does anyone think they can win this title with this defence? Impossible. We saw it against Inter. How can you concede 7 goals in a Champions League semi-final?

“Now everything is based, to a large extent, on Lamine Yamal. They have top-level players at Barcelona, but they don’t have world class players, as Leo Messi had in his time with Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol. Can you win the Champions League with these defenders? Impossible! It’s impossible. They concede a lot of goals. We saw it last season in the semi-finals against Inter.”

Petit tips Mikel Arteta to replace Hansi Flick

Petit also stated that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who was at Barcelona during his playing career, should replace Flick next summer.

“He could be tempted to return to Spain, especially to a club he played for when he was very young. Honestly, with the work he’s doing, can you imagine if he wins something at the end of the season? I’d probably say, ‘Okay, that’s okay. In my case, after almost seven years, I have achieved it with Arsenal. I think it’s time to look for something else’.

“I would understand. Well, look, Barcelona is one of the best clubs in the world. ‘I will return to Spain and the lifestyle is good for my family’. I would say, ‘okay, I’m going to Barcelona, but we have to change something, especially in defence. It’s very simple: you will probably fight for the title in Spain, but in no way will you fight for the Champions League.”

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